Christmas Letters

Past meets present in these creative writing pieces about old-fashioned Christmas gifts - inspired by a visit to Lang Pioneer Village Museum by two local students.

December 25, 1931

Dear Margaret,

          It is Christmas day and I wish you were with us! Mummy and Daddy were missing you too, I could tell by the way they were talking about you. We made sure to pray for you and your new life in Toronto. How is Charles doing? Are you still as in love as you told me you were when you married him in June? There is this new boy at school, his name is James. He is really kind and really loves soccer, but since it is snowing outside he goes out skating on the pond by our house! I often stay by the window and watch him play hockey with the other boys. I always become very keen to clean the stove whenever he is out on the pond because that means I get to stay by the window! I think Mummy is starting to figure out why! One day after school I was walking by the pond and James came up to me and asked me if I wanted to skate. I had to say no because I do not have skates, but James said that I could wear his! They were really big on me so we stuck some fabric in the front and then they fit. He walked in front of me while holding my hands so I could be pulled along on the skates.

          This morning I was so excited to wake up and find that Father Christmas had come with presents for me! In my stocking, I found an orange and some hair ribbons! Under the tree mummy had wrapped a big gift for me in brown paper. I opened it and it was a baby carriage for my dolly! It is a Gendron carriage, have you heard of them Margaret? I have been pushing my dolly, baby Jane, all around the house in it. She likes it very much. We got together with Grandma and Grandpa and had Christmas dinner, I was so excited to have turkey!

I must go now, Mummy wants me to help her clean up the kitchen.

Hope to hear from you!

Love,

Helen

January 2, 1932

Dear Margaret,

          I was glad to receive your letter. I am happy to know that you are enjoying your time with Charles in Toronto. That is fantastic that you get to go see moving pictures at the theatre! When are you going to come and visit us? I miss you. Could I come and visit you in Toronto one time? I would love to see the city. It sounds fantastic!

          I am excited to celebrate my 13^th birthday next week. I wish you could be here for it though. I invited many of my friends, and I even invited James! Mummy said I could invite my friends over to have a picnic for my birthday. I am very excited! I hope James will be able to come to the party. I love getting to spend time with him. School is going great, I got an A- on my English assignment.

          I have been enjoying playing with my Christmas presents. I have been pushing baby Jane around in my new baby carriage. Mummy has started to make me leave her in the main room because she keeps tripping over the carriage.

I hope all is well. Hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Helen

Written by Jaden, a grade 12 student at Trinity College School.

                                                                          December 27, 1925

Dearest Alice,

How are you? It has been so long since I heard from you, I thought I would write you a letter. How is everyone? How was your Christmas? I wish we could have come down and spent it with you. It was strange, this year, since it was the first year without you here. Father’s new job does not let him leave though - he got promoted, as you probably heard from mother. He was working over Christmas Eve! Mother was very upset about it, but backed down a little when he reassured her he would not work over Christmas day.

Anyways, New York is gorgeous at Christmas. I wish you could have been with us. It was Macy’s second year doing the Christmas Parade - oh, Alice, it was absolutely breathtaking. Just how we imagined it would be! And seeing the tree! Jean and I begged father to get one just like it, and so we all tried our best to decorate our tree to be a replica. I think it looks stunning, I will have to show you pictures when you come in June. I cannot wait until you come thoug- it feels so far away. I am counting down the days! Everything is set up, father’s trip has been confirmed so he will not even know you have come. He will be away beginning two days before, and come back a week after you leave. I wish it did not have to be this way, but at least I will get to see you!

Christmas day, we were all woken by Marie, who was desperate to know what Father Christmas had brought her. We had told her the night before not to open anything until we were all awake. I pretended to be asleep until I thought she would actually explode, it was hilarious. Then, we all got up and went into the living room. We all had presents under the tree, but Marie was by far the most excited. She had asked for a Raggedy Ann doll, and of course, Father Christmas provided, resulting in many squeals throughout the morning. Jean got that yoyo she has been wanting for forever, so she no longer has to borrow mine - thank goodness! She seems to want it every time I do, and mother and father tell me I need to be good and let her have it, since I am the older one. Ridiculous, I say, but there is no arguing with father - you, of all people, know that.

How are you doing, by the way? Has father been in contact at all? I do wish he would let up. I mean, you were just living your life! I think you were brilliant, and I would up and join you if I had the guts. I mean, partying and dancing was bad enough, but when you cut your hair…I am so proud of you, Al. You finally stood up for what was right. Father was way overreacting, I think. He was barely affected by it! It was only his reputation he was worried about, and I do believe that is rather shallow of him. Plus, I miss you. I need you here, with all your big sisterly advice! I am currently running my social and love lives all by my lonesome. Dorothy is not really much help, she mostly just tells me to go for it, even if there is absolutely no chance they like me back. Even if they have a girlfriend! I have stopped taking her advice, you will be glad to note. I need your reality checks in my life again, Al. I mention you coming back every day to father, so hopefully I can wear him down one of these days.

Anyways, I am afraid I have gone off on the biggest tangent, I was telling you about Christmas morning. We continued to open presents. I got this game from mother and father, called The Author Game. It really is the cat’s pyjamas, Al. You and I would have a blast playing it - and do not fear, I mentioned that when I figured out what it was. Father got really mad and asked me what I thought I was playing at, mentioning my sister on Christmas morning. So I took my game and went to see Dorothy and Shirley. We played it for hours, it is so much fun. Basically, it is a card game, but with authors’ names and books. The goal of the game is to get as many books as you can, by asking other people whether they have the authors you need. It is like the writer’s version of Go Fish. It is so much fun, you and I need to play it when you come. I am undefeated in it so far, and I am getting so good I think I may be able to beat you as well! I know you will prove a challenge though, so I am preparing. Let this be your warning, dearest sister!

After that, Robert and John came and joined us. I think you will remember Robert? My devastatingly handsome best friend who I am hopelessly in love with, but is - or so I thought - involved with another girl? John is his best friend. They played a couple rounds with us, and then Robert asked me if I would like to go for a walk with him. I accepted, and as we walked he told me he had a confession and a question. He seemed a little nervous, it was adorable. He explained that he was not with this girl, that she was obsessed with him and that was why she had told me that. He told me he had been in love with me since we were children! Imagine that. I know you always told me not to give up hope, but he never showed any sign, so I could not help it! He asked me to go on a date with him then. I accepted, of course. Told mother later, and she was very happy for me. She said not to mention it to father though, he may get upset. Why is he like this? I really do wish he was not, and that he would recognize that the world is changing. Yes, Robert can ask me out if he wants to. And yes, I can accept! I am an independent young woman, and nothing is wrong with dating. Right?

Anyways, mother is calling for dinner, so I best be off. I will talk to you soon, dear sister. Please write back soon! I am dying to hear from you. I want to know all about Ireland, and how you have been doing! And, what you have been doing. I heard about the baby from Auntie Irene - how is she? You must send pictures if you can. What is life like as a rebellious flapper girl in Ireland? I bet they do not care what you do there, not like they do here at least. Betty O’Shriller, you remember her? She suffered the same fate as you did, and was disowned from her family as well. The only other Irish immigrant family in our town other than us, too. I think it’s no coincidence that Mr. O’Shriller and father are best friends. They share the same values, and probably encourage each other too.

Mother’s call is getting more impatient, so I am actually going to go now. Please write back soon. I need to know that you are okay. Miss you so much, Al. I have never looked forward to June so much in my life. I love you to the moon and back, dearest sister. Talk soon.

Love your favourite sister,

Ruth O’Callaghan

Written by Noor, a grade 12 student at Trinity College School

                                                                         

In Flanders Fields – Part 15: Casualties of War

By Joe Corrigan

On November 8^th, 2017 Lang Pioneer Village Museum partnered with Lansdowne Mall in Peterborough along with students from the Norwood District High School and the East Northumberland Secondary School to stage a Remembrance Week living history tribute to Canada’s military history. The event saw students and re-enactors dressed in reproduction uniforms from the War of 1812, the Fenian Raids, the Boar War period 57th Battalion Peterborough Rangers Militia unit, World War 1, World War 2 and the peacekeeping era. The participants each had a set of business cards to give out to the shoppers who came by the display area. On one side of the card was the picture and name of a Canadian soldier who served during the First World War (1914-1918). On the reverse side was the image of a poppy along with the words “Remember those who leave and never return and those who return and are never the same.”  

Fenian Students at the Remembrance Week Tribute November 8, 2017- Photo by Snap'd Peterborough

Students at the Remembrance Week Tribute November 8, 2017- Photo by Snap'd Peterborough

Remembrance Week this year coincided with the 100th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Passchendaele, the story of which was recounted in my previous blog. This battle symbolized, as much as any, the horror and needless sacrifice of life for which the First World War has become synonymous. Even though the combatants had been going at each other for over three years at this point, no one had yet figured out how to get the upper hand and break the stalemate that manifested itself in the 400 miles of trenches from the English Channel to Switzerland. As noted in Part 14 of this series, Lieutenant General Arthur Currie resisted the demands of his British superiors to commit the Canadian Corps to a battle that had gone on longer than it should have and for which they were assigned the challenging task of fighting in a muddy wasteland for the sole purpose of taking a ridge that was of dubious strategic value. Currie, who by now was one of the most effective military leaders the allies possessed, predicted his 100,000-strong corps would suffer 16% casualties taking Passchendaele. In the end his prediction came to pass.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

It is one thing to talk about casualties in the thousands but that’s hard for many of us to visualize. If you were to travel to Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium, with its 11,900 British and Commonwealth graves, that is when the scale of the carnage would hit home. Tyne Cot or Tyne Cottage was a barn that stood near the level crossing on the road from Passchendaele to Broodseinde. Around it were a number of blockhouses which the Canadians had to eliminate in order to reach their final objective, the remains of the Village of Passchendaele. After the Armistice (November 11, 1918), the cemetery was enlarged with the graves from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck. King George V visited Tyne Cot cemetery in 1922 during his tour of the cemeteries of the First World War. He chose a blockhouse as the site on which the Cross of Sacrifice was placed. As few of Canada’s First War dead were buried on this side of the Atlantic, our losses are reflected in local cenotaphs scattered across this large country. In this piece we’ll reflect on the experiences of two individuals whose lives were lost as a result of taking part in the war; one who left and never came back and one who came back but was never the same.

Canadian Corps Passchendaele Monument

Monument at Tyne Cot Cemetery

King George V at Tyne Cot

Talbot Papineau

Talbot Mercer Papineau was born in Montebello, Quebec on March 23, 1883. He was the great-grandson of Patriote leader Louis-Joseph Papineau. Son of a Quebecois father and an American mother, Papineau came from an affluent family and was thoroughly bilingual in French and English but, unlike most people in Quebec, he was raised in his mother’s Protestant faith. He attended McGill University and was one of the first Canadians to be awarded a Rhodes scholarship. He studied law at Oxford University and played for the Oxford Canadians hockey team. He returned to Montreal in 1908 at which time he started a law practice.

In August 1914, he enlisted with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He fought with distinction during the war. In 1916, he came to national, and international, prominence through an exchange of letters published in various newspapers where he argued with his cousin, the nationalist leader Henri Bourassa, over support for the war and the British Empire. Papineau's letter to Bourassa would eventually be published in The Times of London. Many comparisons have been made between Papineau and future Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau due to their similar backgrounds and beliefs about federalism and Quebec’s place in Canada. Papineau was awarded the Military Cross for bravery and he eventually rose to the rank of major. Prior to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Papineau took a position as a staff officer and served behind the lines. Thinking that his political ambitions would be hindered by not being part of a “big push”, and also feeling he was letting his comrades down, Papineau returned to the PPCLI in the spring of 1917.

Talbot Papineau was killed on the 30th of October, 1917 during the second phase of the Canadians’ attack on Passchendaele Ridge. Just before he left the trench he turned to his friend Major Hugh Niven and said, “You know, Hughie, this is suicide.” Papineau was hit by a shell and killed just as he left the trench. His body was never identified. Major Talbot Mercer Papineau MC is commemorated at Menin Gate Memorial in the city of Ypres, Belgium. Who knows how history might have been different if he had survived the war and pursued his political ambitions.

Charles O'Connor

Charles Francis O’Connor was a Catholic of Irish descent who was born in Whitby, Ontario on May 9, 1894. He was the son of John and Julia O’Connor. His father passed away around 1902 having been kicked by a horse at the age of 50. Charles lived with his mother at their home at 206 Palace Street in Whitby and was a “moulder” by trade. He was conscripted into the army and was enrolled on May 1, 1918 in Toronto. After training at Camp Borden he was sent overseas arriving in England on the 21st of June 1918. On October 21st, 1918 he joined the 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders) CEF in France and served with that Battalion until late January 1919. Although he was only exposed to front line combat for about three weeks, the war left him with a cough from exposure to poison gas. He was discharged at Toronto on July 11, 1919 and returned to civilian life in Whitby. He married Maud Macauley on August 21, 1921 and they had three children together. Joseph Bernard born May 26, 1922, Mary Elizabeth born November 3, 1924 and Theresa born August 19, 1926.

Charles and Maud bought a brand new Ford automobile when they were first married. They liked to go on picnics and they would go to ball games in the evening and watch them from the car. Work became difficult to find in the late 1920’s and Charles had unsteady employment with General Motors in Oshawa for a time. The family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1930 after Charles got a job at the Ford plant there. No sooner had he started work the plant closed down and the family moved back to Whitby where Charles still owned a home. The two older children, Joseph & Mary remained in Buffalo as they were in school at the time. One day when he was working with a construction crew on a country road Charles was hospitalized with sun stroke. While in hospital they discovered that he had a lung infection, the result of his service in the war. Charles lived the rest of his life in hospitals and nursing homes. He was placed in a facility in Strathroy, Ontario by the Public Trustee which meant that his wife and children were unable to visit him and he was cut off from his family for many years. He died in 1978 and is buried in the Catholic cemetery on a hill on the north east corner of Brock Street and Rossland Road in Whitby.

Despite being alive for the last two decades of my grandfather’s life, I never had the chance to know him as I did my other grandfather. I only saw him once. It was in the nursing home in Strathroy. He was unable to communicate and, despite my limited time with him, I have a vivid memory of the encounter. Charles O’Connor lost his life to the First World War as much as Talbot Papineau did. The trauma he experienced in Europe, combined with the physical injury he sustained to his lungs and the stress of trying to provide for his young family, cost him his life over a period of 40 years and impacted the life of his family as well. Unfortunately many Canadian veterans today are facing the same issues that Charles O’Connor faced dealing with his PTSD. And so today, as much as was the case in 1914 to 1918, we must “Remember those who leave and never return and those who return but are never the same.”    

   

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007. 

In Flanders Fields – Part 14: The Canadian Corps Takes Passchendaele Ridge

By Joe Corrigan

If the Battle of Vimy Ridge was Canada’s “birth of a nation” then Passchendaele was truly the young country’s baptism of fire. Following the Canadian Corps successful diversionary attack at the Battle of Hill 70 which took place from August 15 to 25, 1917, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig found his offensive at the Third Battle of Ypres had bogged in the rain soaked fields of Belgium. The massive artillery barrage that supported the initial British attacks had destroyed the region’s already fragile drainage system just in time for the heavy fall rains. What resulted was one of the grimmest and most deadly battlefields of a war that was already know for massive numbers of casualties in futile offensives.

Currie and Haig

By this time in the war, the troops from the British Empire’s Dominions, initially looked down upon, had established a reputation as elite shock troops capable of great feats of arms. As such, when none of the offensive’s initial campaign objectives had been taken by October of 1917, Haig called upon the Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians to reinvigorate the allied push. One look at the battlefield told Canadian Corps commander, Lieutenant General Arthur Currie, that the task his men were being assigned, the taking of Passchendaele Ridge, would only be achieved at a high cost in casualties. Currie estimated that taking what was left of the now virtually non-existent village of Passchendaele, would incur 16,000 casualties; a 60% increase over what the taking of Vimy Ridge had cost. And for what? Vimy Ridge had been a strategic objective giving the allies an important stretch of high ground and driving the German back several kilometers. It had proven to be the high point of the entire Arras offensive back in the spring. Taking Passchendaele seemed nothing but folly. A pyrrhic battle over impossible ground for an objective whose only significance was to save the British high command from embarrassment.

Currie used his stature as the commander of a national, albeit small, army to push back when Haig insisted the Canadian Corps join the battle. He refused to serve under British Fifth Army Commander General Sir Hubert Gough and persuaded Haig to assign the Canadian Corps to Sir Hebert Plummer’s Second Army. Currie continued to press his objections to the point where he noted “I carried my protest to the extreme limit … which I believe would have resulted in my being sent home had I been other than the Canadian Corps commander.” This was something Currie did not wish to risk. He was still haunted by his financial indiscretions from his days as a regimental commander in British Columbia which would no doubt come to a head if he was relieved of his command. He was also one of the allies’ finest strategic commanders and to give command to someone else at this point would only result in more losses for the Canadian Corps. Forced to take on the challenge, Currie refused to be rushed. He undertook his typical studied analysis of the situation and made a number of plans to overcome the obstacles presented by the battlefield his troops would be forced to fight in.

Machine gun crew in the mud

The ground was virtually impassable. Nothing but mud and pools of standing water dotted with barbed wire and scores of concrete bunkers the Germans had constructed over the years as they had held the ridge since early in the war. The men would be challenged to make any headway in the muddy conditions weighed down by their heavy equipment and to stumble into the water meant death by drowning. A large number of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Passchendaele were listed as missing in action and have no known graves. Tanks, which were becoming more reliable at this point in the war and which would evolve into a war winning weapon, were useless in these conditions. Artillery could not be moved forward to support the infantry as it advanced and the mud caused havoc with the operation of rifles and machine guns.   

Duck boards

Prior to the assault, the cannons and howitzers were set on firm wooden platforms to ensure their effectiveness. Corduroy roads were constructed by the Corps engineers and pioneers with timber provided by saw mills set up behind the lines. These “duck boards” made it possible for the infantry to move forward over the muddy terrain. Tramways were built to move ammunition and supplies forward efficiently to support the assaults and canvas breach covers were provided to the soldiers and machine gunners to ensure their weapons weren’t compromised by the ever present mud.

The assaults began on October 26th with 2,500 casualties over a three day period before Currie called off the effort short of the initial objective. Following resupply, the assault was renewed on October 30th with the troops advancing about 1,000 yards at a cost of 2,300 additional casualties. The final push took place on November 6, 1917 in an advance so rapid, German artillery shells mainly landed behind the advancing Canadians. In three hours the ridge was in Canadian hands. Haig’s long sought after objective was firmly in allied possession. Except for some fierce fighting to repulse a German counter-attack on November 10th, the Battle of Passchendaele was over. 

The Third Battle of Ypres was over, Field Marshall Haig had achieved the objectives that looked so attainable in August and Currie’s prediction of 16,000 Canadian casualties spent in the taking of a worthless objective came to pass. Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden told British Prime Minister Lloyd George that “if there is ever a repetition of Passchendaele, not a Canadian soldier will leave the shore of Canada so long as the Canadian people entrust the Government of my country to my hands.” Indeed the battles of 1917 (Vimy Ridge, Hill 70 and Passchendaele) cost the young Dominion 35,000 casualties and served to precipitate the conscription crisis that caused a rift between English and French Canada that lasted for decades.

Passchendaele Monument

Much of the information for this blog was drawn from J.L. Granatstein’s major work “Canada’s Army – Waging War and Keeping the Peace” from the University of Toronto Press, 2002.   

Painting of the taking of Passchendaele Ridge

Some interesting YouTube videos you might like to look up include the following:      

The Great War – October 12, 1917 - https://youtu.be/X6VsOR0sWAA

The Great War – October 19, 1917 – https://youtu.be/5L68JCPsMxU

The Great War – October 26, 1917 - https://youtu.be/t61qBlEa6Us

On Wednesday, November 8th from 10 am to 2 pm, Canada's military history will come to life at Lansdowne Place through a partnership between Lang Pioneer Village Museum, the Norwood District High School “Red Coats” (NDHS) historical drill team and the East Northumberland Secondary School (ENSS) drill team. Please visit langpioneervillage.ca for details.

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.   

In Flanders Fields – Part 13: The Road to Passchendaele – The Battle for Hill 70

By Joe Corrigan

The Battle of Hill 70 took place from August 15 to 25, 1917. Lieutenant General Arthur Currie had taken over command of the Canadian Corps in June from British General Julien Byng who had moved up to take command of the British Third Army. Vimy Ridge had been a major victory for the allies and the true worth of the Canadian army was starting to become widely recognized among the senior allied commanders on the Western Front. Their reputation as “shock troops” earned in the Battle of Vimy Ridge from April 9th to 12th was first put to the test at Hill 70. 

Hill 70 Panoramic

Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig had been planning another attack in the Ypres sector for several months now. The Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele at it is more commonly referred, was aimed at regaining a large section of the Belgian coast to force the German Navy to relocate its submarine bases from there. At this point in the war, the U-boats were a serious threat to the supply lines of Great Britain and there was serious concern that the ever increasing losses of shipping and supplies would starve the British out of the war.

After the costly Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the limited successes of the Battle of Arras (of which the taking of Vimy Ridge was one of the few outright successes), Haig faced growing opposition to his strategic plans from British Prime Minister Lloyd George and a number of members from his cabinet. The horrendous casualty lists were fueling anti-war sentiment in the British Isles and indeed all over Europe. With the Russian government’s commitment to the allied cause increasingly under threat with civil unrest during 1917, it was a dark period for the allies. The Americans had entered the war on April 6th, 1917 but it would take months for their small army to train enough recruits to become a credible force in Europe. Some were saying that the American Expeditionary Force might not see significant combat until 1919.

Haig needed a success and, in order to draw German reserves away from the fighting near Ypres, he directed Currie and the Canadians to seize the city of Lens which was to the south in France. Lens had been held by the Germans since 1914 and an assault there, combined with French attacks in the Verdun region, were to be coordinated with the Third Battle of Ypres. In planning the battle, General Currie reasoned that it would be counterproductive to try and take Lens while the Germans still had control of Hill 70 which had a commanding position above the city. The region was held by 5 divisions of the German 6th Army. The Canadian Corp’s four divisions were scheduled to assault Hill 70 in late July but the attack was postponed until August 15th due to bad weather.

In the preliminary bombardment, 40% of the German artillery batteries were eliminated and the Canadian troops took Hill 70 in relatively short order on the first day. They held the position over the next ten days against more than 20 separate German counter attacks. Canadian efforts to secure the city were unsuccessful but their tactical objectives were achieved as they inflicted a total of 25,000 German casualties at the cost of 9,000 Canadians killed, wounded, missing or captured. Once again, Currie’s tactical prowess resulted in an impressive feat of arms, in this case against a foe with numerical superiority on their side. Although technically an attack, it was primarily a defensive battle where the Canadians could take advantage of their defensive positions to counteract the enemy’s numerical advantage.

Currie at Hill 70

It was an impressive victory and added to the Canadians’ reputation as one of the best army corps on the Western Front. Six Canadian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions during the Battle of Hill 70. Despite this, the Battle of Hill 70 is a relatively unknown episode in Canada’s storied military history. It was the Corp’s first involvement in the Passchendaele campaign which would see them further engaged later that fall, along with British and Commonwealth forces, in an all-out effort to fulfill Haig’s desire for a major victory that would knock the Germans out of the war.

Some interesting YouTube videos you might like to look up included the following:      

The Hill 70 Story – https://youtu.be/9EJm2WWTUeo

The Great War – August 17, 1917 https://youtu.be/HZ4FbyltWnA

The Great War – August 24, 1917 https://youtu.be/AqpnfxUdEZg

French women selling food to Canadian soldiers

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.   

History of the Development of Lang Century Village

Lang Pioneer Village Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The following note was written sometime around late 1970 or 1971 and has been transcribed by Margaret's daughter Joan DiFruscia. It gives great insight into the beginnings of Lang Pioneer Village Museum (formerly Lang Century Village). We hope you enjoy! 

The Museum will be hosting a 50th Anniversary Reunion on Saturday, August 19. All current and former staff and volunteers of Lang Pioneer Village Museum are invited to attend. For more information, please visit the event Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LPVReunion/. 

History of the Development of Lang Century Village 

Author Uknown

A scan of part of the original note

When the Century Village at Lang was opened in August 1967, it was a dream come true for Peterborough County Council and many others who assisted with the project. This was a two-year effort on the part of the County to choose a site and build a lasting centennial landmark.
Mr. David McIntyre, Otonabee Reeve, headed the centennial committee in 1967 and the Women’s Institute members and others, worked with the coordinating director, Mrs. Mary Mood.

The 25-acre site, eight miles south-east of Peterborough, was bought by the Otonabee Conservation Authority in 1966.  It included the stone grist flour mill, built by Thos. Short in 1846, the dam and the mill pond, also the saw mill ½ mile north built by Wm Lang in the 1830’s. The site along the Indian river is leased to the County for 99 years.

Both mills are being restored by the Conservation Authority.

About a dozen large and small buildings were moved in from different parts of the County, all actual pioneer buildings. Roads were built, and a village green constructed with a base of silt from the river bottom. The buildings were roofed with wooden shingles made in the village’s shingle mill, from cedar beams of a 100 year old barn.

Items displayed in the buildings are all antiques donated by district residents. Several hundred articles have been contributed, and more are being donated every year.

The layout of the village was planned by architect Napier Simpson of Willowdale, who also worked on the Black Creek Pioneer Village project in North Toronto.

The capable curator is Mrs. John MacKelvie and all articles for display must be approved and catalogued by her.

The first building moved to the site was the log Milburn house from Smith township. It has an upstairs with two bedrooms, a downstairs bedroom, sitting room, kitchen and pantry, all furnished in the 1870 period.

The log cabin from the Fife homestead is believed to be the first home of David Fife of Red Fife wheat fame, and is furnished in pioneer settler style.

The Douro Council hall was moved from Douro township and contains a large council table from the Peterborough County, also two polling booths with old time ballot box, etc.

The church was brought from Glen Alda in Chandos Township.

The log school house from South Lake was the last log school in use in the County.

The 1858 country store and post office from Menie Corners, near Campbellford, is managed by the Keene Women’s Institute and has a quantity of goods for sale, such as candy, home cooking, hand woven rugs, apples, and sometimes maple syrup, shelves stocked with goods sold in the 1800’s.

The blacksmith shop was moved from Warsaw, and the genial blacksmith, Mr. H. Golloher fascinates the children with the things he can make from red hot metal.

A woodshed was moved from the Howson farm, east of Peterborough and now houses the shingle mill.

Display barns were moved from Asphodel and Selwyn and the church sheds from Dummer.

The latest log house added in 1969 was moved from the Fitzpatrick farm in Asphodel and is furnished in the 1840-50 period with a fireplace in which scones are cooked over the open fire on special days and sampled. Mrs. Golloher churns butter in the old dash churn. Quiltings and other crafts are carried on in this house too.

A log barn houses the sheaves of oats grown in the small field beside it, and the old time separator and steam engine thrash the grain in the fall.

On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays afternoon when the village is open from May till October, it is peopled with ‘villagers’ in old-time dress, working at pioneer crafts and ready to answer questions and show articles, and explain their use.

Many special days are held in the summer and fall, such as the Peterboro Folk Arts Fall Festival, with many crafts being demonstrated, as well as folk dancing, choruses and square dancing, and log rolling on the river.

The Conservation Authority holds a special Millers’ holiday in June.

Almost every weekday in June bus loads of school children tour the village with guides to show them around and many bus loads of W. I. groups and other organizations arrange tours.

On two occasions the Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School history class has spent a day at the village studying pioneer history, and this year some of the pupils from this school entertained the 40 children from the Day Nursery at a Christmas party in the Fitzpatrick house.

In 1969 new washrooms were built and in 1970 an administration building was constructed and covered with field stone from the site. This contains a ticket office and storage space.

A large picnic area with tables, a concession booth, parking and swimming area are free to the public, admission being charged for the village and mill only.

A committee of four from the County Council are appointed each year.

In 1968 Mr. Peter Pearson was chairman, in 1969 Mr. Norman Wilson and in 1970 Mr. Michael O’Toole.  Most of the buildings have been donated but a great deal of work is involved in moving and restoring them. A caretaker is hired for the season to look after the grounds and buildings, and guides, mostly school pupils, are hired to staff the buildings.

The village is becoming well known, and the guest book in the Council Hall contains names from all over North America, and the British Isles, and even Australia. In 1970 around $6000.00 was paid in entrance fees from (some) and 3,110 school children were shown the village on tours. Of the $30,000 budget for the operation, $25,000 came from the County and the balance from provincial grants and gate receipts.

Margaret MacKelvie, David McIntyre & Mary Mood

A postcard of Lang Pioneer Village from the early days

Lang Pioneer Village General Store

The following blog entry is a submission by guest blogger Chris Brown. The original entry was posted to Chris' photography website, Christopher HC Brown on March 20, 2017. Chris has given us permission to re-post his entry.

In Flanders Fields – Part 12: The Battle of Vimy Ridge Part 3: The Battle

By Joe Corrigan

The battle of Vimy Ridge was set to commence at 5:30 am on Easter Monday, April 9th, 1917. It was to be part of the larger Battle of Arras conducted by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Commonwealth units. During that night, thousands of Canadian troops waited in the many subways that lead up to their front lines. The shelters were 8 meters below the surface and they protected the troops from enemy artillery fire. Given that the Germans on Vimy Ridge had an excellent vantage point from which to observe troop movements on the allied side of the front, the subways were the only way to ensure that the element of surprise was maintained up until the attack took place. Evidence of that long, sleepless night still exists in those tunnels with hundreds of carvings in the chalk walls. Soldiers names, home towns, battalion numbers, unit emblems and countless maple leafs left a mute testimony to the anxious hours spent by many of the over 97,000 Canadian soldiers who took part in the attack.

Artillery at Vimy

At the appointed time, nearly one thousand Canadian artillery pieces opened up on the German positions. In addition to the creeping barrage, the artillery targeted German gun positions that had been located using aerial observation, flash spotting and sound monitoring in the months prior to the attack. It was at this point that 15,000 to 20,000 Canadian soldiers emerged from the subways into their front line trenches. The infantry units, now reconfigured as independent sections each with their own riflemen, machine gunners (utilizing the portable Lewis gun) and bombers armed with Mills bombs (grenades) went over the top. The reorganization allowed the troops to be self-sufficient and in possession of every weapon needed to out-flank and neutralize obstacles. At a walking pace of 100 yards every three minutes, which became known as the “Vimy Glide,” they followed the creeping barrage at a safe distance arriving at the German front line before the enemy troops sheltering there could come out and set up their defenses. Once that objective was taken, the barrage moved on towards the second line of trenches.

Infantry Advance at Vimy

The View of the Douai plain from Vimy Ridge

This is where the careful planning and rehearsals started to pay off. The 4 divisions of the Canadian Corps were fighting as a unit for the first time in the war. Each division had its own objective. They were lined in order from 1 to 4 with the 1st division on the southern edge of the advance and the newly arrived 4th division on the northern edge. The first three divisions had similar objectives on the ridge differing only in how far they had to go. The 1st division having the farthest distance to reach the final objective known as the “Brown Line” on the far side of the ridge. The 4th division had the shortest distance to cover but they were tasked with taking the highest points on the ridge namely Hill 145 and a knoll known simply as “the Pimple”. Every soldier in every battalion had rehearsed on a scale model of the ridge and knew exactly where they were to go to reach their objectives. Unlike the British on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, there was no lack of understanding as to what the troops needed to do and what strongholds they would have to eliminate along the way.

Plan of Attack at Vimy Ridge

Everything went according to plan for divisions 1, 2 & 3 and they captured their sections of the ridge by 1:30 pm that day. Things did not work out so well for the 4th division, however. The newest of the Canadian formations, they had yet to be tested in battle. They had taken part in a major trench raid leading up to the attack in early March which had been a disaster. There were high casualties sustained in the raid, many of which were experienced officers. On the day of the assault, the commander of the division decided to cancel the barrage directed at an enemy defensive position surmising that, if taken intact, the defensive position would be useful in fending off German counter attacks. It was a costly mistake causing many casualties and weakening the division to the point that they had to mobilize a “work battalion”, the 85th Nova Scotians, to revitalize the assault. It ended up taking the 4th division three more days until the strong points on the Pimple were finally dealt with. Finally, on the 12th of April, the ridge was in Canadian hands. It was a costly victory, although not the costliest of the war. Over 10,000 casualties were sustained, close to 3,600 of them fatal. The cost to the Germans has never been tallied but it is believed that they suffered a similar number as well as over 4,000 taken prisoner.

British and French generals who had scoffed when told that the Canadians planned to take the ridge in a matter of hours were astounded that, at least in the case of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions, the battle went exactly as planned. From that point on, the Canadian Corps gained a reputation as “shock troops” and the allied high command knew that, as British Prime Minister Lloyd George expressed, “when the Canadians moved into the line the Germans knew to expect the worst”. Vimy Ridge was the only clear success in the battle of Arras. As a result, General Julian Byng was promoted to commander of the British 3rd Army and General Arthur Currie took over as Canadian Corps Commander. Later Currie would be given command of the entire Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) which, in turn, would receive independent status from the BEF, unique among the Dominions of the British Empire.

Canadian Troops After Vimy Victory

Vimy Ridge remains a symbol of the coming-of-age of the 50 year old Canadian nation on the world stage. It was the first battle in which the newly formed Canadian Corps fought as a unit and it was an overwhelming success. As one soldier put it “We went up the hill as Albertans and Nova Scotians. We came down as Canadians”. There are a large number of Vimy commemorative videos on YouTube. Here are a couple of links that may be of interest. https://youtu.be/Vv8cL4HYid4 and  https://youtu.be/T6oUw01DEu4

Artist's image of the soldiers' spirits and the monument

Vimy Monument

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.